Magic
What is Magic? Magic is the essence of the world of Betelgeuse. Most everything in it's natural state has been created by some form of magic. Though this is only a theory and has been up for debate as of late within the Empire, and is a common conversation starter amongst higher ranking officials and magi. Magic incorporates several branches, and quite a few unique elements including Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind, and Friendship. Theories of magic *'''Magic as colors: '''Some have theorized that the types of magics in the world may be similar to the way color works. The theory states that magics exist in their pure states such as Fire or Water, just as colors do, like red or blue, and, like color, these magics can be combined to form new, more complex magics. For example, Fire and Light combine to form Lightning magic, Water and Earth combine to form Life magic, etc. These magics exist on a spectrum, like color, varying from one end (Light magic) to the other (Dark magic). However, this theory, like the others, is not without its flaws. It is unclear which type of color rules magic follows. For example, combining all the colors of light forms the color white, while combining all the colors of paint forms black. Depending on which of these is true, magic would either be innately good or evil... *Insert another theory here *Insert another theory here Known Elements and Combinations Pure Elements: *Light *Fire *Wind *Earth *Water *Shadow *Dark *Arcane Learning Magic It is a generally accepted theory that magical ability lies solely within. It cannot be given, acquired, or stolen from another individual. One is simply born with the spark, or lives without. Practicing magic is often dangerous if unsupervised by a more experienced user, and those who attempt it with little experience are dancing on a knife's edge. The allure of raw power draws many amateur magic users to untimely deaths, either through their own carelessness destroying themselves, or others eliminating them to prevent catastrophe. In addition to this, users who delve too deeply without fore-thought risk finding themselves practicing the dark arts. A realm of magic from which few have returned. Although practicing magic without being born with this spark is nigh impossible, this does not prevent most from still using it in some form. Items can easily be enchanted or imbued with magical powers and properties allowing even the most non-magical of beings to wield its power in at least some limited fashion. More powerful artifacts exist that could allow a user even greater control over specific magics, however these are few in number and generally considered dangerous because of this property. Fire Magic Arguably one of the most destructive magics, fire magic is strongest in the nether. There, the latent magical energies and massive oceans of fire coalesce to form creatures of flame, such as blazes, ghasts, and even cubes of living magma. Harnessing this type of magic can be hazardous to those with weak or untrained magical abilities, as fire requires control and precision in order to prevent the wielder from burning themselves. Although it may not appear this way to an outside observer, as fire tends to move in a chaotic and unpredictable nature. Usage: The most obvious usage of fire magic is conjuring flame to burn, sear, and melt objects or beings. Adept fire mages are able to conjure balls of pure flame, hurling them at opponents and burning or exploding on contact. Those with even greater control can summon waves of flame to cover an area, or even surround themselves in liquid flame to deter close combat attackers. However, this is not the only use for fire magic. Careful practitioners of this dangerous magic have been known to use fire to remove poisons or other maladies from the body, using the flame to burn away the impurities within. Extreme caution must be used when attempting this method, as any lapse in concentration could end with the patient being incinerated. Light Magic Insert Info here Dark Magic Also known as death magic or necromancy. Forbidden by any beings with a hint of sanity, dark magic grants enormous powers to the one who wields it. However, this power comes at an immense cost, draining the soul and sanity of the one who uses it and driving them to unspeakable acts. Beings that seek to control this magic will soon find that they themselves are the ones being controlled, though for what purpose is unknown. Any who have practiced magic for long enough have felt the call of this innately evil magic at one time or another, and those that reply tread a dangerous path. Usage: As there has been little official documentation on the usage of dark magic, speculation varies widely as to its true capabilities. Adept users have been known to animate and control the dead, using them as slaves for their nefarious purposes. Further abilities include draining and absorbing the life force of other beings, planting suggestions in the mind, and even gaining full control over another being's will. Advanced users have been known to directly conjure the dead without any remains to work with, and summon evil spirits and scepters to do their bidding. Any who wield this vile magic spread its influence wherever they go, corrupting all that they touch with the influence of dark magic. Some users have been caught practicing dark rituals attempting to draw something immense from the shadow realm, but for what purpose is unknown. Water Magic DOES NOT HEAL THINGS Earth Magic Insert info here Wind Magic Insert info here Shadow Magic Not to be confused with Dark magic. Though it shares a close border with Dark magic, Shadow magic is not innately evil. Shadow magic is the art of deception and stealth, granting the user the ability to avoid detection and move unseen by ordinary beings. Because of its close resemblance to dark magic, those that practice the art of the shadows are the most susceptible to its calling. Usage: Users of shadow magic have the ability to cloak themselves in shadows, moving undetected and at a much higher speed than would be possible normally. Advanced users have been known to have the ability to completely enter the shadow realm becoming undetectable to even the most cunning of magi and gaining the ability to enter the minds of others, although this is usually greatly frowned upon as it bares a striking similarity to dark magic's mind control abilities. Arcane Magic A fairly common magic to be studied, normally the study of newly inducted Neophytes into the Magical Arts. Can be quite useful, but is quite varied, resulting in most Neophytes splitting off into the other Arts. Usage:Edit Some of the most common uses are Bolts of Arcane Energy, An Aura of Arcane Energy, or a skill known only by "Blink". "Blink" is a weak teleportation spell, capable of moving the caster around 20 feet at a time. Aura's of Arcane Energy, commonly known as Focus Circles, are made to increase the power of certain magical arts, by a degree of the construction of the Focus Circle. One Focus Circle, made by draining the souls of around thousands of mages*, could, theoretically, allow a Neophyte to "Blink" to the other side of the world. This has never been tried as we would have no way of getting him/her back, and the amount of power could cause a doomsday scenario. Arcane Bolts are rather short lived, high impact, bolts of arcane energy. These bolts require less time to form than Fire/Ice Balls, but travel a fairly short distance before burning out into an amazing light show. *Note, the resources expended to be able to do this would be so extreme, it is regarded as impossible, if not extremely useless, as the usage of this circle by any mortal would end with their soul flayed.